An artistic depiction of the angel of death. Painted in 1881 by Evelyn De Morgan.Azrael (Biblical He

An artistic depiction of the angel of death. Painted in 1881 by Evelyn De Morgan.Azrael (Biblical Hebrew: עֲזַרְאֵל‎ ʿázarʾēl) is the Angel of Death in Islam and some Jewish traditions. The Hebrew name translates to “Angel of God”, “Help from God”. In one description, he has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues whose number corresponds to the number of people inhabiting the Earth. He is constantly recording and erasing in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively.Azrael kept his importance in everyday life. According to the Sufi teacher Al-Jili, Azrael appears to the soul in a form provided by its most powerful metaphors. Great prophets such as Moses and Muhammad are invited politely by him, but also saints are said to meet Azrael in beautiful forms. A common belief holds that the lesser angels of death are for the common people, but saints and prophets meet the archangel of death himself. It is said that, when Rumi was about to die, he lay in his bed and met Azrael in human shape. The belief that Azrael appears to saints before they actually die to prepare themselves for death, is also attested by the testament of Nasir Khusraw, in which he claims to have met Azrael during his sleep, informing him about his upcoming death. -- source link

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